His Majesty King Abdullah on Wednesday said Jordan viewed the ongoing period of regional challenges as an opportunity to achieve more political reforms.

Meeting with US Congress members in Washington, the King said Jordan is on the right track in terms of reform and is working to engage all political segments in the decision-making process.

As part of meetings with the presidents of several Congress committees and senior officials from the House of Representatives, the King held talks with Kay Granger (R-Texas), who chairs the House subcommittee on state and foreign operations.

During the meeting, they discussed ways to foster Jordanian-US cooperation to face the Kingdom’s economic challenges.

The King briefed Granger on the political and economic reform programme currently underway in the Kingdom, which seeks to boost a democratic process that leads to parliamentary governments and provide a better life for Jordanians, adding that Jordan is confident of success.

Granger asserted the House’s commitment to continue with US support for the Kingdom to enable it to implement political and economic reforms and overcome economic challenges.

Expressing her appreciation of His Majesty’s efforts to guarantee the security and stability of the region, she lauded the King’s courage and Mideast peace efforts, voicing hope that these efforts prove fruitful.

She also commended Jordan’s political and economic reform.

The King also met with Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Florida), chairperson of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and reviewed the latest regional developments and efforts to revive peace talks between the Palestinians and Israelis.

King Abdullah said the recent Amman talks were aimed to end the stalemate facing the peace process and bring Palestinians and Israelis back to the negotiating table.

The King asserted Jordan’s commitment not to lose focus on the Palestinian issue because of the Arab Spring, noting that resolving it is key to ending several other problems facing the region.

His Majesty also cautioned that Israel’s unilateral measures are jeopardising the peace process.

Commenting on Iran, King Abdullah expressed his belief that dialogue is the sole means that will help the region avert more tension.

Ros-Lehtinen hailed the King’s success in bringing Palestinians and Israelis together for meetings in Amman, noting that the US believes that the two-state solution is the appropriate means to end the conflict.

His Majesty also met with US senators on Wednesday to discuss the latest regional developments and efforts to revive the peace talks.

During a meeting with Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii), chairperson of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Carl Levin (D-Michigan) and Jim Webb (D-Virginia), His Majesty discussed means to boost bilateral economic cooperation in the best interests of the two countries.

The King briefed the senators on the steps Jordan is taking to boost democracy and achieve economic reform, emphasising the significance of mega-projects, mainly in the fields of energy, water and transport, voicing his appreciation to the US for its support to the Kingdom.